We Begin at the End (and more free stuff)
over 5 years ago – Tue, Oct 30, 2018 at 01:17:50 AM

Hello, wise vislae—

In our last update, we told you about the Kickstarter campaign for a reprint of Invisible Sun. And that there are some rewards in it for you, even if you don’t back the new campaign. Good news: Over the weekend the campaign reached its funding goal, so you’re getting the adventure We Begin at the End. For free. Automagically.

And the news gets even better: Our first stretch goal is for a new set of props. Invitations, tickets, playbills, old letters, and pages torn from mysterious books, in PDF format. It’ll nearly double the number of props provided in the Black Cube, and like everything Invisible Sun, these items will be filled with hints, clues, hooks, and hidden truths. They’ll be a great aid for your Invisible Sun narrative. We say your narrative, because if we reach this stretch goal, you, as a backer of the original campaign, will also get this stretch goal. For free. Automagically.

Expect your copy of We Begin at the End to fulfill to you soon. And in the meantime, please help spread the word so that we can reach this stretch goal and start looking toward additional goals! 

—Charles and the MCG Team

Would You Like a Free Adventure?
over 5 years ago – Thu, Oct 25, 2018 at 12:40:27 AM

Hello, wise vislae—

I summon the Black Cube from the Void, and I master it to shape its contents. Opening the box is difficult and dangerous. . . .

If you’ve ever cast Master the Black Cube, you recognize those words from the Spell Card. Yesterday we began our casting, and we have shaped the contents of the Black Cube to contain something for you!

Due to overwhelming popular demand, we intend to reprint Invisible Sun and the Vislae Kit, both of which have been sold out since before the official street date. If we make this happen, we have a gift for you: We’ll send you a free adventure, We Begin at the End, which was specially designed by Monte for first-time Invisible Sun GMs and players. The adventure will be in PDF format, and we’ll send it to you automatically through the MCG Shop.

What does it take for this to happen? Yesterday we launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the reprint, judge demand, enable the production of some cool extras we’d like to make more of, and (if it’s successful enough) maybe even produce new Invisible Sun supplements. If the campaign funds, the Black Cube shall open for you, and inside you’ll find We Begin at the End. You don’t have to back the campaign or do anything else to get your free adventure—but, obviously, if you help spread the word, it makes funding more likely (and grows the Invisible Sun community as well).

But the Black Cube holds many secrets, and may be called again! The campaign is off to a strong start, and we’re confident it will fund and hit some stretch goals. Some of those stretch goals will also apply to you. In other words, the better this campaign does, the more free Invisible Sun support you will get, even if you don’t back it.

That said, there may be some things you’d want from this campaign. In addition to the reprint of the Black Cube, we’re offering:

• A great deal on a bundle of all the supplements, including any potential new books unlocked as stretch goals. If you didn’t back for these books in the original campaign, this is the best way to get them.
• The Vislae Kit, which is currently sold out.
• The Key in print. We’ve had loads of requests for this vital book from the Black Cube, which is used by all players as they conceptualize and create their characters.
• Wicked Keys, Path of Suns medallion sets, Order medallion sets, extra dice, and other very cool bits and pieces that aren’t currently available.

So check out the Kickstarter, and help spread the word. With your help, the Black Cube will again be called forth, and we’ll all find some objects of power within!

Speaking of Wicked Keys. . .

In the last update, we mentioned that Wicked Keys were on the way. We’d been told to expect them by Monday, but transit has taken a few days longer than expected. They are currently on US soil and have cleared Customs, though, and should hit our warehouse in a matter of days.

We are also receiving T-shirts this week, so expect those, and the outstanding medallion sets, to fulfill with the Wicked Keys soon!

—Charles and the MCG Team

First Look at Secrets of Silent Streets—and Much More!
over 5 years ago – Tue, Oct 16, 2018 at 01:06:04 AM

Note: Know anyone who missed Invisible Sun? If they’d like news about a potential reprint, have them sign up here, and we’ll let them know when information becomes available.

Hello, wise vislae—

Here are some buckets full of Wicked Keys.

More on them just below!

But first, we hope you’re loving the Black Cube as much as we do. (Don’t have your Black Cube? See the bottom of this update.) It’s been an intense couple of months getting the Black Cubes and Vislae Kits out to you. It’s been, far and away, the most complex and challenging RPG fulfillment ever—by us or, to our knowledge, any other RPG publisher.

But it’s paid off! As a Kickstarter backer, you helped make this radical, ambitious, risky, amazing RPG—exactly the sort of thing that could never be made via a conventional business model—a reality. And for being part of that, you not only got your copy of Invisible Sun (which, given it’s sold out, was not the case for everyone who wanted one), but also a medallion, a secret, a pack of bonus cards, and maybe some Wicked Keys—all at about $50 less than the retail price. Suffice it to say, we’re incredibly proud of this history-making RPG, and we hope you’re proud and happy to have been part of making it happen!

We aren’t the only ones who are loving it. Check out this article in no less than the Los Angeles Review of Books. It takes a deep dive into the history and meaning of surrealism, and Invisible Sun’s implementation of the genre in a tabletop game. And this article at Game Informer integrates an interview with Monte as it explores the game’s genesis and its unique style of play.

Wicked Keys on the Way—and More!

Now that the bulk of the primary fulfillment is over, our bandwidth (and warehouse space) is starting to clear up—and that frees us up to focus on what’s next.

• As I post this, Wicked Keys are winging their way toward us. We expect to have them within a week, and we’ll begin fulfilling them shortly thereafter. If your backer level includes the words “with a Key” in the title, or if you added on a set, look for your fulfillment email in the not-too-distant future.
• Getting a T-Shirt? Those are also in production this very minute, and will ship your way before the end of the month.

• Check out the special medallions! This one is one-of-a-kind, cast in sterling silver, for the Sovereign of Secrets. The presentation box below is for the order medallions going to the Ritual of the Black Cube with a Key backers. These and standard medallion sets (suns and orders) all either started fulfilling in the past few days, or will be in the next few.

• Are you due some Nightside components? Production on these items is closing in on completion. They’ll be shipping in about a month.

There are a lot of moving parts in the fulfillment of Invisible Sun, and the list above doesn’t cover every single deliverable. But the upshot is that we’re looking at the end of this long process—other than the remaining books, which will come out over the next year, only the figure sets are expected to take more than a few more weeks to move through the fulfillment process.

Secrets of Silent Streets

Speaking of books, here’s a sneak peek at some Secrets of Silent Streets artwork:

While Tammie and the warehouse have been hard at work getting your rewards out to you, Monte and the design team have been diligently pushing forward on future rewards. Secrets of Silent Streets is through editing and just heading into layout. It’ll go to press in December, for a February street date. This book tours Satyrine, with detailed information on seventeen districts of the surreal city—atmosphere, people, notable places and events, and plenty of narrative hooks. We’d originally conceptualized it as a roughly 160-page book, but the final page count will be around 200 pages. If you’re getting Book M (either as a backer, or from your FLGS or the MCG Shop), Secrets of Silent Streets will fit nicely in the slipcase that comes with that title.

Directed Campaign Hits Chapter Four

In addition to the books, we’ve also been hard at work moving the Directed Campaign forward. Chapter Four launched this month, and it’s the first month in which different narratives start heading in different directions. Subscribers who have launched their campaigns in the first couple of months have already received their first physical mailing of props and items, and that’s in addition to scores of digital props and items, as well as loads of adventure and narrative content. They’ve also been conversing with one another along with the design team, on the exclusive forums.

It’s not too late to get in on the Directed Campaign. You can start your year-long narrative, which is tailored to your story over the course of twelve chapters, any time between now and next summer, but in the meantime you'll have exclusive access to the design team, early and secret news, and conversations with other creative Invisible Sun GMs starting as soon as you sign up.

And remember, if you know someone who missed Invisible Sun, send them to the information signup!

—Charles and the MCG Team

Don’t Have Your Black Cube?

If you haven’t received your Black Cube, here’s what to do:

1. Go to the MCG Shop. Log in using the email address you used in BackerKit. If you don’t already have an account on the MCG Shop, create one first (again, using your BackerKit email address) and then log in.

2. Go to My Account (under the Store tab). From there, click on Coupons.

3. You’ll see coupon codes for all your available rewards (but not rewards that aren’t ready yet). Click a coupon code. It’ll take you to your shopping cart, with the item in the cart and the coupon already applied.

4. If you have more than one reward available, return to the Coupons page and repeat the process. Do that for all the rewards you wish to redeem. (If there are items from the MCG Shop you wish to purchase, you can also add them to your cart.)

5. Proceed to checkout. If you live overseas, or if you want expedited shipping, select and pay for it at this step.

6. You’ll be able to download PDF rewards immediately. We’ll ship your physical rewards ASAP.

If you’ve already done that, but haven’t received your Black Cube (and it’s been longer than normal shipping time), there is probably an issue. Contact us at [email protected]

Character Tomes, Street Date Arrives, Book M, and More
over 5 years ago – Thu, Sep 20, 2018 at 08:29:46 PM

Hello, wise vislae—

Here’s something cool:

This is the first-off-the press sample of Book M. It looks really, really great. That said, there’s so much more to Book M than just the book itself—it comes with roughly 200 new cards for spells, ephemera, incantations, and objects of power, plus a slipcase that will hold not just Book M, but Secrets of Silent Streets, Teratology, and The Threshold as well. The cards and slipcase are still in production, after which there’s shipping and assembly, so the final product is still some ways away.

Street Date Has Arrived!

Speaking of timing, yesterday was the official street date for Invisible Sun. The Black Cube went on shelf at brick-and-mortar retailers across the US and the world. Demand for Invisible Sun has outstripped expectations, and it’s already sold out to distributors—meaning some stores may not have received as much as they’d like, or any at all, and they probably won’t be able to order more. So, if you know someone who was keen to pick up Invisible Sun at their FLGS, tell them to hurry!

If they miss it, or their FLGS didn’t order Invisible Sun, have them sign up here to receive news about any potential reprint. We don’t have any specific plans at this point, but if there’s enough demand we’ll look into it!

Extras of Those Handy Bits

We have a limited quantity of some consumable game elements—things you might use up during your narrative, or for which it’s just useful to have a second copy—and we’ve just made them available on the MCG Shop. You can get an extra Grimoire Pad, a second copy of The Guiding Hand, or a complete set of all the cards from the Black Cube.

Also: character tomes in PDF are now available for download. Because Invisible Sun character tomes are so different from conventional RPG character sheets, we’ve posted them in two formats: Full-sized (you’ll have to have these printed at a specialty print shop), and slightly reduced to fit on standard tabloid (11" x 17") paper. (This size also prints on A3 with minimal adjustment.)

If you ordered print character tomes as an add-on, those will be shipping soon. We hope to offer character tomes in print at a future date. (There are also extra print character tomes in the Vislae Kit, so if you’re getting that, you’ll get some tomes there.)

—Charles and the MCG Team

Production Update—Black Cubes and Wicked Keys
over 5 years ago – Thu, Aug 23, 2018 at 01:20:13 AM

Hello, wise vislae—

I’m happy to report at last that the fulfillment process for the standard Black Cube is coming to a close. All of our warehouses are shipping now, and most orders have been processed. Those that remain to ship will be going out the door in the days to come, and this is true not just for Kickstarter backers, but for preorder customers too. Invisible Sun is also on its way to distributors, and will be in stores in less than a month. It’s been a long road, but it’s paid off with a game we’re really, really proud of.

This will be the last of our regular (or, in the Gen Con season, somewhat irregular) production update posts, though of course there’s a lot more to Invisible Sun, so we’ll definitely keep you informed, as news comes up, over the months to come. In the meantime, have a look at this!

Those are final prototype wicked keys. The photo came straight from the factory this week, and we don’t have the samples in hand yet, but assuming they’re as awesome as they look they’ll go into production ASAP.

And then there’s this:

Vislae Kits are in the US warehouse and begin shipping to domestic backers next week. They’ll be reaching our international warehouses shortly, so if you’re overseas look for your redemption email in about two weeks or so.

Here are a few other items in the works:

• The Directed Campaign is already well underway; backers who launched their narratives in July are headed into the third chapter in September. It’s not too late to get in on all the great content (and secrets, and community, and cool physical mailings). Sign up now and you can start your narrative any time between now and next summer.
• Special versions of the Black Cube are in the US warehouse. We’re finalizing autographs for them now, and will be ready to ship them very soon (including shipping them to our international fulfillment warehouses). Other high-end backer rewards are all in process.
• Order medallions, character tomes, dice sets, and similar additional component add-ons will be shipping in the next couple of weeks.
• The figure sets are closing in on going to production. They’re still a few months from being done—we’ll update you on them as we get closer.
• As we’ve reported in recent updates, Book M is in production now! Normally, book production takes about a month or so, with another week or two of shipping and logistics, but because Book M includes a slipcase, 200 cards, and the assembly of all these items, it won’t be ready to ship until later this fall.
• And work is well under way for Secrets of Silent Streets and future Invisible Sun supplements!

Want To Run a Truly Awesome Narrative?

Roleplaying games are full of great moments—when a party really clicks, a plot comes to a fantastic resolution, a scene unfolds with incredible drama or tension, and so on. You know those moments I’m talking about: games that become the stuff of legend; moments you and your friends recount for years.

Invisible Sun has a lot of mechanisms baked right into the system to help ensure that these moments happen often in your game, by design rather than happenstance. Your Best Game Ever compiles the best wisdom of the MCG team’s combined 250+ years of roleplaying experience, including lessons from the design of Invisible Sun, to help you make every game just as awesome.

And that’s not all—the campaign is also funding a revision to the Cypher System Rulebook, taking lessons learned from the new Numenera Discovery and Numenera Destiny corebooks, plus Your Best Game Ever, to turn a great multi-genre rules set into the game system that will drive, well, your best game ever. Every time!

(And the I Want It All! level is becoming a screaming great deal for Your Best Game Ever, the Cypher System Rulebook, and a slate of genre book stretch goals we’ve already unlocked. Just like your Invisible Sun pledge ended up being an incredible deal (lower price, bonus deck, medallion, secret, and so on), this is another Kickstarter-only opportunity you shouldn’t miss.)

The campaign ends this week, so get in on it now while you still can!

—Charles and the MCG Team

(Here's another wicked key photo, showing scale, detail, and an alternate finish. Every time we show something like this, we get a slew of messages from people who wish they'd backed for it or added it on. Hey, when we say we're going to make something cool, we mean it! And we're making some cool stuff for the Your Best Game Ever campaign right now!)